Lessons Learned and Put to the Test at Rhode Island Refuge

When Hurricane Sandy hit the Rhode Island coast in late October 2012, Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge got hammered. Five years later to the day, the remnants of Tropical Storm Philippe struck New England, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. This time, the refuge was ready, thanks to work by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners.

The Wrath of Sandy

Hurricane Sandy brought heavy rain, wind gusts exceeding 80 miles per hour, and a storm surge boosted by a full moon to Sachuest Point. It wrought havoc on the refuge, chewing up pavement, strewing rocks and chunks of concrete onto the access road, and knocking down power poles. Maidford Marsh was flooded and its outlet to the Sakonnet River blocked by sand.

Restoring power to the visitor center took three months and re-opening the road another three, at a cost of $648 thousand. Thousands of would-be visitors were inconvenienced.

Hurricane Sandy caused severe damage to the access road at Sachuest Point. Credit: USFWS

Fortifying Infrastructure

Following Sandy, the Service worked with partners to repair and armor the access road, bury 7,000 feet of utility lines that run alongside it, and remove 60 utility poles. The work cost more than $1 million and was supported by Federal funding for Hurricane Sandy recovery and resilience projects and a generous $250,000 donation from local partners.

Following Hurricane Sandy, the Service and its partners strengthened the access road by adding armor stone along the ocean side. Credit: USFWS

The last utility pole along the access road comes down. Credit: USFWS

Mending the Marsh

The northern end of the marsh at Sachuest Point was modified dramatically in the early 20th century, when the Maidford River was rerouted and the Connector Road built from one side to the other. The southern end served as the dump for the Town of Middletown until 2004, when trash was removed and placed in a landfill to the west of the marsh.

With the marsh’s natural water movement, or hydrology, altered, the northern end was prone to flooding during heavy rain storms. After Sandy, it was inundated for an extended period, and the Connector Road was underwater.

In 2015, as part of another project supported by Hurricane Sandy funds, refuge staff created new channels in the marsh to improve its hydrology and drain storm water. When they realized more were needed, they contracted with the Woods Hole Group, in East Falmouth, Massachusetts, to study further the hydrology of the marsh. Another channel was added this fall, and staff will continue to assess the situation.

With support from a Hurricane Sandy Resilience grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Town of Middletown, Rhode Island, raised the Connector Road through the marsh to reduce its chances of being overtopped by floodwaters.

In 2015, the Service created additional channels in the marsh to improve water movement and drainage. Credit: USFWS

Following further study of the marsh’s hydrology, the Service created another channel this past summer. Credit: USFWS

A Trial Run

This year’s storm was the result of bombogenesis, which happens when air pressure drops rapidly, intensifying the winds at the center of the storm. While not a hurricane, it brought heavy rain, high winds, and more power outages than Sandy. Due to the moon phase, tides were lower, reducing storm surge.

This time, there was no flooding and no loss of power at the refuge. The access road and visitor center remained open to the public. Cleanup amounted to closing lids on trash bins.

In the northern Maidford Marsh, stormwater drained through new channels and into the Sakonnet River without backing up. The Connector Road remained above water and open to traffic.

“We were hoping that the new channels would improve drainage, and this storm demonstrated that they have,” said Dr. Jennifer White, the Service’s Hurricane Sandy resiliency coordinator.

A #StrongerCoast

It’s hard to make a direct comparison between last month’s storm and Hurricane Sandy, but the conditions presented by the two are strikingly similar. While Sachuest Point experienced high winds and heavy rain during both, the damage to infrastructure and habitat was like night and day.

Knocked to its knees five years ago, the refuge returned stronger, meeting the recent challenge head-on and remaining up and running for wildlife and people.

Breaking barriers: Hunting in the black community

Today we discuss diversity in hunting with Eric Morris, an avid hunter, fisherman, and all-around outdoorsman. His passion inspired him to found the Black Wolf Hunting Club in 2011, with the mission to promote the sport of hunting in the African American community, and to increase representation of African Americans in the outdoors. Eric’s goal is to close the gap between communities and access through education, written media projects, and hands-on hunting, shooting, and other outdoor experiences. In addition to founding the Black Wolf Hunting Club, Eric has travelled the country to speak about diversity in hunting, met with the National Shooting Sports Foundation to discuss the topic, taken entire families on guided hunts, served as a hunting mentor, and is currently writing a book on the subject.

Q: Did you grow up in an urban or rural setting? Was hunting a popular sport in your community?
A: I grew up in a town of 17,000 people, and like many places in Alabama, hunting was naturally a part of my community.

Q: Did you grow up hunting or fishing? If so, who did you hunt with?
A: Growing up, I participated in fishing more than hunting. When I did hunt, it was small game in my backyard and in the surrounding neighborhood. Several of my uncles and cousins hunted, and though my Daddy was not a hunter, he did purchase a .22 rifle and took me squirrel hunting when I was 12 years old.

I became fascinated by stories of Native Americans being in nature and matching their skills against wildlife. I loved the idea of being able to hunt and survive off the land.

Q: What initially inspired you to pursue the sport of hunting?
A: I believe that some hunters, myself included, are born with an interest in the outdoors, which leads to an interest in hunting. While in elementary school, I became fascinated by stories of Native Americans being in nature and matching their skills against wildlife. I loved the idea of being able to hunt and survive off the land. I learned my great-grandmother was part Creek Indian, and I was even further intrigued.

Q: Where did you primarily hunt? Did you have access to public lands where you grew up?
A: Though I had access to public lands, Daddy grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s, where racism and stereotypes were prevalent, so as an African American, he was somewhat uncomfortable hunting on public lands. I primarily hunted in my backyard, wooded areas in my neighborhood, and on my uncle’s 40 acres of land since the age of 12 until I graduated college.

Q: Where do you hunt now that you live in Atlanta? How is your access to local hunting sites?
A: Now that I live just outside of Atlanta, I hunt all over the United States. To date, I have hunted in 10 different states, including Alaska. Locally, there are roughly 15 public hunting areas consisting of more than 140,000 acres within a two hour drive from Atlanta. Despite the availability of local areas to hunt, if a person never takes time to learn of these hunting areas, they can say “I don’t know where to go” as the reason why they do not hunt.

Life has shown me that the love and passion for hunting trumps all social and racial differences.

Q: Based on your personal experience, why do you think the sport of hunting is not more diverse?
A: From my personal experiences, there are four reasons why hunting is not a diverse activity. The first reason is that America has a long history of excluding Blacks and other minorities from the hunting scene, and even today the perceived message in those communities is that hunting is an activity that only White people do. While this may not be the intended message, many minorities feel that hunting is a White-only sport.

The second reason hunting is not more diverse is because many minorities do not feel welcomed in some hunting groups, since the faces and culture of these groups do not reflect them. Additionally, most hunting advertisements do not show diversity.

The third reason, and perhaps the most significant, is “mentality.” What a person thinks about hunting, whether or not they grew up with hunters, their self-image, where they see themselves in the food chain, and internal fears all play a part in an individual’s mentality. Despite the adversity surrounding hunting, life has shown me that the love and passion for hunting trumps all social and racial differences. When two hunters meet and share their experiences, it can seem as if they are new best friends.

Lastly, from my involvement in several conservation groups, I have noticed that White hunters seem to have a greater sense of responsibility than Black hunters for leaving an outdoor legacy, protecting the environment, and continuing the family tradition of hunting for their children and future generations. I have yet to see this level of involvement from the minority hunting community as minority participation in conservation groups is almost non-existent. Social and racial issues going on within our society also contribute to the lack of hunting diversity.

Q: In your opinion, what do you think are the main obstacles for people living in urban communities to engage in hunting?
A: I believe that people who live in urban areas, where there is the largest concentration of minorities, have a different outlook and mentality about hunting, and see hunting as a rural or backwoods activity. Urban and rural communities also dress differently, think differently, have different interests, and have a different view of guns. Another significant obstacle is introduction to the sport of hunting. For many, their families do not hunt, and no one has ever introduced them to hunting. Those who are interested in hunting may be suspicious or untrusting of those who want to introduce them to the sport.

The time has come to stop just talking about diversity, and shift into taking action on increasing diversity in hunting.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share about hunting?
A: Many companies and organizations within the hunting industry realize the financial gain from tapping into the minority market. In 2016 alone, hunting expenditures amounted to $25.6 billion, and $36.3 billion in 2011.  However, the reasons and motivations for wanting to diversify hunting should be genuine and sincere, and come from a place of passion for diversity rather than money. The task of increasing diversity in the sport of hunting is not an easy one, nor can it be solved by a large sum of money; it is going to take a concentrated effort, led by experienced Black or Hispanic hunters, to get other minorities involved in hunting. The time has come to stop just talking about diversity, and shift into taking action on increasing diversity in hunting.

Hunting is a fun activity that offers a sense of freedom and self-reliance that cannot be matched. It is sad that hunting is not as important in American culture today compared to 100 years ago. This may be because the American landscape has changed and so have societal views on hunting. In my opinion, Americans have become increasingly more reliant on convenience and technology rather than self-sufficiency and self-sustenance.

Q: In your opinion, how can public land agencies provide increased opportunities for hunters, regardless of where they live?
A: With well over 100 million acres of public hunting land available to the public, finding a place to hunt is not an issue. I think that public land management agencies should first identify their target audience, then sincerely and deliberately gear their efforts towards that audience.  In regards to outdoor diversity, public land agencies should invest time and resources into targeting minority markets by having outdoor days on public lands, having introduction to hunting days, offering a free hunting day, or offering select permits to hunt on public lands that would otherwise be off limits. In addition, having strong representatives from the minority community to spearhead the effort is a great way to showcase opportunities on public lands.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks as we continue this conversation with Eric!

Looking for Love in the Right Places

Today we hear from Elizabeth Rogers, with the National Park Service at Fire Island National Seashore in New York State. Elizabeth spent some time this spring and summer working as a Public Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, sharing the stories and science of resilient coastal communities and systems. On her days off, she can be found exploring the outdoors or dabbling in the kitchen.

Millions of people come to beaches along the Atlantic Coast every summer to swim, stroll, and sunbathe. Piping plovers, federally protected beach-nesting birds, return to sandy stretches from Newfoundland to North Carolina each year to look for love.

When it comes to finding the right place to nest and raise their young, piping plovers are picky. Nests are often found along the upper beach in sparsely vegetated areas of sand, pebbles, or shells above the high tide line.

Piping plovers nest along the upper beach in sparsely vegetated areas of sand, pebbles, or shells above the high tide line. Credit: Dave Frederick/Creative Commons

Ideal nesting habitat has long been identified and protected with string fencing at federal, state, and local parks across the Northeast. Until recently, however, there was little information to help land managers understand the importance of local nesting habitat within the broader range of this species.

Two studies funded through Hurricane Sandy relief aid are helping to change that.

Since Hurricane Sandy struck, researchers from Virginia Tech have banded and monitored piping plovers near a channel, or breach, that opened during the storm within Fire Island National Seashore’s wilderness area in New York. The study shows that natural, unmodified channels like this breach are a big deal for breeding plovers. Annual surveys have shown that the breach shoreline and nearby overwashes and flood shoal islands are attracting new piping plover pairs.

Due to the dynamic nature of sandy coastal environments, there is an abundance of flat, open habitat with little vegetation. An ample supply of potential nest sites and edible insects make the shoreline near the natural inlet a draw for an increasing number of piping plovers.

When Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012, it opened a channel in the wilderness area at Fire Island National Seashore, seen near the top of this photo. Credit: NPS

Since the storm, researchers from Virginia Tech have been banding and monitoring piping plovers near the channel. Credit: NPS

Over the course of the five-year Virginia Tech study, more than half of the adult birds have returned to the site year after year. One adult flew over 30 miles from its nesting site to feed near the breach and was observed the following year nesting at the wilderness breach. This year, two adult plovers banded as chicks from different nests have returned and paired up —  a true summer love story.

An inventory compiled for the North Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NALCC) by coastal geologist Tracy Rice identified piping plover habitat on a regional scale during three distinct time periods: before Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and after the storm in 2013 and 2015. The Fish and Wildlife Service is a supporting partner in the NALCC.

The inventory shows how sands — and potential nesting habitat like natural tidal inlets — have shifted over time across the Atlantic Coast. With a broader view of breeding grounds, the location of prime piping plover habitat and the impacts of habitat modification come into clearer focus.

Little Egg Inlet on Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey is one of just two unmodified tidal inlets in a 350-mile stretch of coastline within the breeding range of the piping plover. Credit: Google Earth

Rice’s inventory found the wilderness breach at Fire Island and Little Egg Inlet, an opening into Great Bay in the wilderness portion of Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge in New Jersey, are the only natural, unmodified channels in a 350-mile stretch of coast from Montauk, New York, to Chincoteague, Virginia. Beaches near natural inlets, shaped and reshaped by the tides, can provide an abundant supply of nesting habitat and food resources for shorebirds. Identifying these natural assets on a regional scale provides land managers an important perspective.

Taken together, these studies deepen our understanding of how landscape change within a species’ range can influence breeding success. This new information will guide how shorebird nest sites are protected in the future. Good news for piping plovers looking for love along the Atlantic Coast.